Melissa Pagliaro

February 20 is acknowledged as Leadership Day to honour the positive impact leaders have in our communities, both at work and at home. Despite their potential, people with disabilities often face challenges in advancing their careers and are still underrepresented in management and executive roles. Recognizing this, Samosh has identified key factors that help leaders with disabilities succeed, using his metaphor of the three-legged stool of career success.

The three-legged stool helps us understand the three essential pillars of career success for people with disabilities: career self-management strategies, social networks, and organizational and societal factors. Just like a stool needs all three legs to be stable, strong leadership requires all three pillars to be solid and well-established.

In recognition of Leadership Day, we at CCRW are sharing an infographic (plain text available) of this metaphor. By showcasing these pillars, we hope to inspire everyone to contribute to strengthening these foundations and support persons with disabilities in advancing to leadership positions.

View the infographic PDF here 

View the plain text here

For more information, you can read Daniel Samosh’s work on the three-legged stool here.

Want to learn more about career advancement? Check out CCRW’s Trends Report, Career Advancement Pathways for Workers with Disabilities.